GRANITE FALLS, Minn. — Pioneer PBS’s locally produced programs Postcards and Prairie Sportsman received a combined total of six Upper Midwest Emmy® awards from the Upper Midwest Chapter of The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The awards ceremony was held on October 15, 2022 at the Radisson Blu hotel at the Mall of America. This is the 10th year in a row that Pioneer PBS has received Upper Midwest Emmys® for its local programs, for a total of 26 Emmys since 2013.
Five Emmys were received by the Pioneer PBS Postcards team of Producer Dana Conroy with Videographers/Editors Ben Dempcy and Kristofor Gieske. Since 2013, stories created by the Postcards production team have received 22 Upper Midwest Emmys.
Bone Brushes and Hide Painting featuring Granite Falls artist Fern Cloud received an award in the Historical/Cultural/Nostalgic - Short Form Content category. Cloud is a Native American designer and Dakota painter who uses bone brushes and traditional paint pigments to convey symbolism and history on buffalo and deer hides.
Beautiful Kingdom: Where Love Takes the Lead features the origin story of this Luverne, Minnesota-based band. It received an award in the Arts & Entertainment - Short Form Content category.
The Thing That Makes Your Heart Sing features the work of Kandace Creel Falcón, a queer Chicana interdisciplinary feminist scholar, writer and visual artist who lives and works near Erhard, Minnesota. This story received an award in the Diversity/Equity/Inclusion - Short Form Content category.
40 Thieves On Saipan: A Son Uncovers His Father's True Story features the story of Frank Tachovsky (as told by his son Joseph) who was the commanding officer of a platoon of Marine Scout Snipers in WWII’s Battle of Saipan. The episode received an award in the Historical/Cultural/Nostalgic - Long Form Content category.
Bonded By Sacrifice: Gene Murphy and Lyle Bowes won an award in the Military - Short or Long Form Content category. The story traces the history of the relationship between two Vietnam veterans who are bonded by the experiences they shared and the tragedy of war.
Prairie Sportsman’s story Conflicting Canines received an award in the Public Affairs program category. In this segment, University of Minnesota researchers examine whether foxes are moving into urban residential areas to escape coyotes. Since 2019, Prairie Sportsman has received four Emmy awards, including one for Bret Amundson’s hosting talent.
Prairie Sportsman is the Pioneer PBS program celebrating our love of the outdoors while promoting environmental stewardship. Prairie Sportsman’s 2022 season team includes Cindy Dorn, producer/writer; Bret Amundson, host/editor; and Dylan Curfman, editor/videographer. This is the fourth Upper Midwest Emmy received by the program since 2019.
These award-winning productions were made possible by Pioneer PBS members, with funding from the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources, the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and other sponsors.
About Pioneer PBS
Pioneer PBS is an award-winning, viewer-supported television station dedicated to sharing local stories of the region with the world. For more information, visit www.pioneer.org or call 1-800-726-3178.